


The Candy Store

by Adelait



Category: LOONA (Korea Band)
Genre: Candy, Comedy, Cotton Candy Fluff, F/F, Fluff, Magic, Romance, Slice of Life, Sweet, Tooth-Rotting Fluff
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-03-08
Updated: 2019-03-14
Packaged: 2019-11-13 16:37:07
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 5,296
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18035243
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Adelait/pseuds/Adelait
Summary: Sooyoung never really had a thing for sweets. Whether it was ice cream, chocolate, sours, she just didn't like it very much. That still didn't stop her from going to the candy store a few blocks away from her every Friday though, even if for the most part it was for the cute cashier that worked there. Until the cute cashier called Chuu finds out and takes her on a journey, determined on finding some sweets she does like.A sickeningly sweet and fluffy story!





	1. Jelly Tots

Sooyoung never really had a thing for sweets. Whether it was ice cream, chocolate, sours, she just didn’t like it very much. That still didn’t stop her from going to the candy store a few blocks away from her house every Friday though, even if for the most part it was for the cute cashier that worked there.

The first time she had set foot in the shop was when she was about seven years old, the candy store was one of the many treasured places her and her friends went to. 

Even if you didn’t have the money to buy anything, the store was a place full of hidden treasures, with fun lurking around every corner. There were colorful animatronics that handed out free sweets, mini-games to play with friends, the “taste corner” where you could try and test the latest candy out, a photo booth that printed pictures out on candy paper, and so much more. 

It was just like a toy store, except everything was made out of candy.

 

For kids, it was a paradise, but adults enjoyed the store just as much. The candy store was owned by a man that called himself Mister Fizz, he loved making and selling candy, and always had the funniest stories to tell. He always wore a green suit and a top hat, and instead of a rose he had a big lollipop in his breast pocket, occasionally giving it a kid after which a different lollipop would magically pop up and fill his pocket again. 

 

Back in the day when he opened up the store he was said to have a slick hairstyle with a big curl on top, resembling a greaser hairstyle, and although he almost looked exactly the same now other than being older, the only thing that changed was that his previously chocolate brown hair was now grey, with here and there a white streak.

These days his spot behind the counter was now filled by a girl that looked around the same age as Sooyoung, if not younger. When they were small she remembered seeing her in the store too, but never interacted with her as she’d shy away and hide behind Mister Fizz. 

 

If Sooyoung had to describe how much she changed compared to back then, she’d say she’s like a flower. Back then she was like a little bud still unsure about everything, but that little bud turned into one of the prettiest flowers once she fully bloomed.

 

 

Sooyoung gently pushed the door to the shop open, triggering multiple sensors that caused the toy bird to come out of the cuckoo clock, the railway train made out of waffles with chocolate to whistle and the gummy bear animatronics to welcome her, followed by the sweet voice of the girl behind the counter as she welcomed Sooyoung inside. 

Multiple kids were already running around the store, making all kinds of noise as they bumped into other kids and yelled about all the candy that was available.

Sooyoung didn’t mind the ruckus though, going to the candy store had become such a habit for her that she became immune to the screeches of children, allowing her to go to the counter unbothered, that is, before she roughly got pulled towards the chocolate fountain by the 3 goblins as sooyoung called them. 

Their actual names were Yeojin, Hyejoo and Gowon, but she became so accustomed to calling them goblins that it had stuck.

 

“What do you guys think you’re doing?!” She angrily whisper-yelled, plopping down on the cushions that were placed around the fountain. The 3 kids ignored her as they grabbed whatever they could and dipped it in the chocolate fountain before they gulped everything down, all in a matter of 3 seconds.

“We’re here to devise a plan for you,” The tallest out of them, Hyejoo, said. “unless you want to keep coming to this store every week to exchange 5 words with chu- I mean, you-know-who, and then buy candy you don’t even like only to give it away, and unless you don’t mind being alone forever and dying alo-“

“Hey, you little- I’m not JUST here to see her nor am I going to die alone, thankyou.”

“What’s your other reason to come here then? You don’t even like sweets.” Gowon said, or at least Sooyoung thought that was Gowon as her face was completely covered in chocolate. Somehow.

“..You guys?” They all looked at each other for a few seconds before simultaneously cracking up while Yeojin made puking sounds in the background.

“Alright you got me, but still, I wasn’t planning on just buying something and then leaving, not today.”

“Oh?” that got Yeojin to stop her fake puking.

“Yeah. I’m going to ask her out today.”

.

..

…

Sooyoung wasn’t sure what to expect, but for all three of them to burst out into laughter was not one of them. Actually, it was, but she tried putting that thought aside.

“Hey, stop laughing I’m being serious!” she wined, trying to get the chocolate smudged kids to quiet down before the entire store would be looking at them. 

After a minute of two she realized they wouldn’t stop laughing until she actually got up and asked her, so she did.

 

The brunette behind the counter just handed over a little bag of candy to a kid that happily walked away, as she noticed Sooyoung walking up to her. Her wide smile caught her off guard, almost making her turn around and dash away until she saw the three kids lined up behind one of the racks giving her a thumbs up. 

Somewhat encouraged she got up to the counter, greeting her with a soft hi. Chuu gave her a big smile, “Hi! What can I get for you?”

 

“100 grams of Jelly Tots, please.” Sooyoung wasn’t sure how she’d ask her yet, so she had to think of a plan quickly. 

Her train of thoughts got interrupted when she noticed that the pot of Jelly Tots was slightly off the shelve, and when Chuu reached over to get to the pot the soft touch of her finger was enough to make the pot fall off, making her fall off the ladder as Sooyoung hadn’t been there to catch her, having no idea how she got there in the first place.

“Are you ok??” She asked, quickly putting her down again as she made sure she was stable again.

“I’m ok, thanks! Uh-“

 

“Sooyoung. Ha Sooyoung.”

 

“Thankyou Sooyoung!” Chuu gave her a toothy grin, acting as though she didn’t almost fall to death a few seconds ago. Okay, death might be a bit too much, but still. 

Sooyoung felt her cheeks warm up as she realized they had been standing there for a few seconds, quickly stepping back and leaving Chuu to her work. She seemingly also just snapped out of her daze as she confusedly looked around, remembering what she was doing in the first place. 

The pot that had previously been standing on the shelf was now on the ground, and an immense wave of guilt washed over Sooyoung.

 

“I’m really sorry about the pot, if you want I can repay you- it was my fault it fell in the first place, I don’t even like candy that much yet I had to ask for those and now-“

“Hey, don’t worry, it’s ok!” Chuu reassured her, giggling a bit at Sooyoungs rambling.

“It’s not your fault at all, it could have happened with anyone. S- Wait. You don’t like candy?”

 

Oh god. Sooyoung felt her soul leaving her body, why did she have to catch up on that part, or no, why did she even let it slip in the first place-

“Uh. I mean, not really. I guess?”

 

Chuu blinked a few times, looking at the pot on the ground and then back at Sooyoung before quirking her eyebrow up, seemingly amused. At this point Sooyoung feared for her life, or more like for the fact that Chuu was probably figuring out that she had been coming to the same candy store for the past few years, every single Friday, even though she doesn’t even like candy.

“..Wait.” Here it comes. “So you’ve been coming here for all these years, always to buy the exact same candy, which you don’t even like. In fact, you don’t like candy in general.” Sooyoung nodded in defeat.

“You’ve got me.” Chuu let an exaggerated gasp out, covering her mouth with her hands. If Sooyoung wasn’t thinking about jumping of a cliff she would have found it cute. Nevermind she still did, but back to the cliff.

 

“Ok.. Sooyoung!” She suddenly yelled, making Sooyoung jump.

“Yes!?”

“Are you free tomorrow!”

“Yes!?”

“Why was that a question?”

“Sorry, yes!”

“Ok! Meet me here tomorrow at 1pm!”

“Why-,” Chuu glared at her, “ok!” Chuu stopped glaring, Chuu grinned. Happy Chuu.

“Alright, it’s a deal!” At this point the girl was practically bouncing, her skirt following her motions as she excitedly bounced around. It was impossible not too catch some of her excitement, Sooyoung felt all fuzzy inside, like some kind of fizzy soda. It might have been because of the environment ofcourse, candy stores tend to do that. She smiled at the excited girl as she suddenly remembered the pot that fell on the ground.

“Oh, right. Let me help you clean that up.”

Chuu made some kind of “tututu” noise, “It’s ok, really. Just come tomorrow ok, it’ll be fun!”

Sooyoung grinned at her, “alright, I’ll be there.”

 

They waved their goodbyes at each other, hearing the bell (and the cheering of the 3 goblins) behind her as the door fell back into the lock. She had to admit, she was excited about tomorrow.

 

Even if it involved her eating candy all day and probably ending up with diabetes.


	2. The Second Floor

Sooyoung immediately noticed Chuu as she stood at the corner, happily waving at Sooyoung once she saw her as she walked up to Chuu.

Somehow she had been staring at Chuu for a whole minute now, causing the smaller girl to confusedly stare at her and asking what’s up, and Sooyoung only just remembers that Chuu in fact does not always wear her cute puffy outfit for the candy store and didn’t think she could possibly get any cuter but now she was here in the freezing cold wearing her oversized knitted beige sweater and she’s been staring at her for ages and should probably say hi now-

 

“Earth to Sooyoung?!”

 

“-yes, hi.” She felt her face redden up and hoped Chuu didn’t catch her staring, although she most definitely did from the amused smile dancing on her lips. “You look..” cute “cold. Are you okay like that?”

“Yeah, it’s freezing! But I’m okay thankyou.” Chuu grinned as she started to walk down the street, telling Sooyoung to come with her.

 

“Wait, so let me set this straight. You don’t like sweets?”

“Nope.”

“What about gummies?”

“Not really.”

“..Lollipops? Sours? Chocolate??”

“….”

Chuu gasped, stopping in her tracks as she looked at her like she just killed someone.

“Ha Sooyoung! As someone that works at a candy store I’m obliged to say you’re coming with me right now and we’ll find something you like!”

“It’s ok, serio-“

“No!”

 “i- ok”

 

Chuu practically dragged her to the candy store, swiftly unlocking the door with a key that looked like a golden lollipop. This time none of the sound effects went off, nor did the animatronics come to life. The shop was dark other than the daylight that came in through the windows. It was a weird sight as Sooyoung had only seen the store when it was bubbling with life, but it was pretty cool to see it like this too, almost like she wasn’t supposed to see it this way.

 

“Pretty different from usual, isn’t it?” Chuu softly said, as if she just read her mind. It was evident in her tone that she treasured the store. As if it had become a part of her, which made sense considering she spent most of her time here.

“I think it looks nice. Although I prefer when the store is full of people, and all kinds of things are spinning and bouncing around and you don’t know where to look.” Chuu chuckled.

“You’re right, me too.” Suddenly she spun around on her heels, facing Sooyoung. “Well then, let’s get some candy!”

 

Chuu strode towards the back of the store, pressing on a big button hidden behind a loose green colored brick in the wall. Suddenly a rumbling sound could be heard, a lid on the floor popping open after which a series of stairs folded out from what seemed to be some kind of underground box, zigzagging all the way to the second floor as the little gate that blocked the path to the stairs clicked open.

Sooyoung stood still staring at the spectacle that had just happened in front of her in awe, before Chuu excitedly dragged her upstairs, revealing a big wooden door with a funny door handle shaped like a cat’s face. As soon as she pushed the door open the sweet smell of pie surrounded them, seemingly coming from the kitchen in the far back.

 

The door fell back into its lock as Sooyoung looked around, not knowing where to look as there were hundreds of objects on the walls, hanging from the ceiling and stacked on desks.

The green vintage wallpaper had hundreds of photos in all kinds of different frames hanging on it, with pictures from the candy store, Mister Fizz, two white cats, multiple other people who she assumed were family and friends, and then a whole series of pictures from Chuu. Sooyoung chuckled as she let her eyes go over the pictures, starting with baby Chuu and eventually ending with the Chuu she knew today.

Other than the pictures there were also multiple candy-wrappers framed on the wall, with little quotes under them on a golden emblem. Planes and hot air balloons were hanging from the ceiling, and a railroad on the floor led from one room to another, the whistling of the train softly sounding somewhere in the back.

Chuu had disappeared into the kitchen, so Sooyoung eventually decided on following her after gawking at the interior for the past few minutes.

 

The kitchen was just as overwhelming as the rest of the house, this time the walls and all the furniture were painted in pink, with red accents here and there. What seemed like a nanny-robot rolled around and was busy making all kinds of treats such as pies and brownies that would later be sold in the store.

The trail of pictures continued in the kitchen, with even more pictures from Chuu and the two cats, who kept getting fatter in every picture. Chuu was kneeling down in front of one of the cabinets, taking out a huge box filled with candy.

 

“Grandpa prepared a lot of candy for us, once I told him you didn’t like candy and that we were going to look for candy that you like he insisted on making you taste the best sweets he has made! He even put in some of the newest ones and some that aren’t tested yet, so he said to make sure that we tell him what they tasted like,” Chuu chirped, “and if they had any negative side effects!”

Sooyoung froze at that, making Chuu laugh.

“Don’t worry, I’ve been testing candy for years and something bad has never happened before. Except for that one time my skin suddenly turned purple for days.” She handed Sooyoung the box before taking out yet another one, leading the way as she walked through the hallway to one of the doors in the back, painted in red with big letters on it that spelled “CHUU”. Sooyoung guessed this was Chuu’s room.

 

It was exactly like how she imagined what her room would be like, cute and cozy. With red polka dot wallpaper and stuffed animals, fairy lights and two big white things moving in the corner.. wait.

“Hey, Chuu..”

“Yeah?” She replied, putting the two boxes down on a table with a list and pen on it.

“Are those-“ Sooyoung pointed at the fluffy moving things, making Chuu let out a big gasp as she turned around and sprinted towards it, holding both of the creatures in her arms.

“They’re our cats! This one’s Soda and this one is Pop.” Right, the two cats from the pictures.

“Aren’t they a bit.. You know..”

“Fat?” Chuu looked at the two cats that were purring in her arms, as if she only just realized they were a bit.. overweight. “..I think it’s because of my grandpa. He has the tendency to mix candy between their food, he says ‘everyone needs a little bit of sugar in their lives to be happy!’ And then one day they got like this. Speaking about candy, how about we start the candy tasting and find out what candy you like!”

 

And so they did.

Saying that they tested around hundreds of sweets was an understatement, Sooyoung was pretty sure they were already at candy number 300 and they were nowhere near finished. However, she was enjoying every minute of it, even when her hands changed color for a split second due to the “chameleon candy”, or when they spend half an hour looking for a special invisible candy that Chuu accidentally dropped, only to find out it wasn’t even included in the box in the first place. Chuu thought this was unacceptable as it was one of her favorite sweets, so Sooyoung promised her to buy some of the candy next time she came around so she could taste it, to which Chuu happily agreed.

Even though Sooyoung hadn’t found a sweet yet that she really loved, she noticed that everything tasted much better than usual and even liked some of the candy that Chuu had given her. Everytime she’d say that she liked it Chuu would give her the brightest smile and write it on the list, which she titled the “Big Journey To Finding the Perfect Sweet”.

 

It was around 5pm when they suddenly heard the door unlock, followed by the sound of Mister Fizz’s voice.

 

“Jiwoo? I’m home!” Chuu jumped up and ran to her grandfather to give him a big hug. Sooyoung popped her head around the corner, unsure what to do when she suddenly felt herself getting pulled into the hug too.

“Sooyoung! It’s been so long since I’ve last seen you, how are you? And how’s your dad doing?” He excitedly said.

“You know her dad?” Chuu confusedly asked, seemingly lost as to how the both of them knew eachother.

“We went to the same school back in the day, after that we weren’t in touch a lot until he popped up at the store, with little Sooyoung! I still remember when he walked in together with you, oh! And Jiwoo! You were so shy back then, we thought you guys would become best friends quickly but you always ran off whenever they came by-“ Chuu let out a big whine, stopping her grandfather before she embarrassed her even more.

“I wasn’t shy! I just.. didn’t know how to.. approach her..?” She stammered out, receiving a suspicious look from Mister Fizz as he saw right through her lie.

Luckily he gave the girl a break and directed his attention back at Sooyoung, changing the subject.

 

“Will you be staying for dinner? Jiwoo told me you’d be here today so we prepared something special, I’d love for you to have dinner with us.”

Sooyoung questioningly looked at Chuu, who heavily nodded at her.

“Yes?” She softly said, Chuu nodded even more and gave her a big thumbs-up. “Yes!”

 

And that’s how they all ended up in the dining room, sitting around a big round table with Chuu sitting next to her, Mister Fizz across her, and the two cats on high chairs. They were surrounded by all kinds of different lit candles, creating a cozy atmosphere as they passed each other the syrup bottle and soda can. Waffles definitely weren’t your average dinner, but Sooyoung didn’t mind as these were some of the absolute best waffles she ever had. Chuu noticed that she had taken a liking to them and occasionally poked her, making a victory face (somehow) as she discovered one of the sweet things Sooyoung did like, even if it wasn’t exactly candy.

With the TV on in the background they all talked about the sweets they tried earlier, listened to Mister Fizz’s as he told about some of the sweets and how he came up with them,  overall enjoying the food and each other’s company.

 

And once Sooyoung decided to go home it was already 9 pm, the stars outside adorning the dark night sky.

 

And even though Sooyoung was a little bit worried she’d miss the bus, it all didn’t matter when Chuu bid her goodnight with a soft kiss on her cheek and a “thank you for coming today, I had fun”, ending with them exchanging numbers and a promise that they’d do something like this again soon.


	3. Fever

It was a Wednesday afternoon when Chuu heard the door open, followed by the usual bells and sounds as she welcomed the customer. The store was not as busy as usual, with it being Wednesday. Most kids were at school during this time, so the only people here were either parents with really young children, or kids that somehow snuck out of school and just hung around the store all day, playing in the back.

 When she saw who the person was she was pleasantly surprised, not expecting them at all.

 

“Sooyoung??” Chuu confusedly said, meeting eyes with the brunette who let out a smile.

“I never saw you here on a Wednesday before, what’s the ocassion?”

 

Sooyoung let out a laugh at how lost Chuu looked.

“I just wanted to buy some candy.” She said, making Chuu squint her eyes.

“..But you don’t even like candy that much?”

“Hey, I do!! I mean, I don’t hate it at least. Plus we had some real good ones last time.” Chuu was still squinting her eyes, to which Sooyoung responded with puffing her cheeks.

 

“..and I wanted to see you.” This got Chuu sqealing and launching herself at Sooyoung in a hug, earning a laugh from the Chuu-attacked girl.

 

“How come you managed to get here on a Wednesday though? You usually never do that.”

“Uh,” Sooyoung looked away, “I called in sick.”

“You’re sick?”

“..No?” Once again Chuu suspiciously eyed her before placing a hand on her forehead.

 

“Oh my god you’re burning up?? What are you doing here you should be resting at home! Are you by foot??”

“Yeah, but I’m not all that sick, I’m just-“ Chuu made an angry face that looked more cute than angry as she disappeared into the back of the store, presumably talking to her grandfather before returning with her coat on, and a beret that matched her auburn hair that was braided into two loose braids hanging over each shoulder. “Let’s go!”

“Go? Where?”

“I’m bringing you!!” Sooyoung got dragged out of the store, stopping in front of a bright red bicycle with white polka dots. She somehow expected this.

 

“Ok, come on! I don’t want you fainting on the way there.”

“Hey,” she retorted, “I’m not going to faint from something so small-“ For such a fragile-looking girl Chuu had a lot of power, in a span of 5 seconds they had almost reached the end of the street, and even though they were going at such a high speed Chuu somehow managed to be as careful as possible so that Sooyoung wouldn’t get a headache from being all shaken up.

“Hold on tight!” she yelled, and Sooyoung didn’t hesitate to wrap her hands around her waist, out of fear from flying off the bicycle when they went around the corner.

 

 

About 15 minutes later with Sooyoungs directions they reached her apartment, being helped by Chuu as she dizzily walked up the stairs, her eyes getting foggy. Clumsily she got the door open, letting herself down in the sofa when she felt her legs losing their strength. Chuu managed to catch a soft thank you before getting attacked by something that just launched itself at her.

 

“A puppy! I didn’t know you had a puppy?” She excitedly said, picking up the fluffy Shih Tzu that immediately relaxed in her arms. “What’s his-“ Chuu turned around, only to see that Sooyoung had fallen asleep. She unconsciously smiled, only realizing in what situation she was about a minute later.

 

A hyper dog that seemed like it was really hungry, and a passed out Sooyoung sleeping on the couch, still wearing her normal clothes. On top of that she had a fever, her forehead visibly sweaty and burning cheeks. Chuu would normally just go home in this situation, however she’d feel guilty leaving a sick person alone like this.

 

 

“Uhhhh, hey Sooyoung? Soo? Hello?”

..

“Alright.. Well then, dog,” Chuu lookedat the Shih Tzu whose eyes each pointed in a different direction, “it’s up to us.”

 

 

Sooyoung shivered a bit, pulling the blanket up to her face as she repositioned herself into a slightly more comfortable pose.

Wait, blanket?

She quickly sat up straight, mentally scolding herself for doing so as she expected her headache to make her regret that, though she noticed her headache was as good as gone when it didn’t throb.

 

The lights in the living room were off, with only her fairy lights against the wall turned on, and one of the many table lamps that were placed all around the room, casting a warm light on the red walls, wooden shelves neatly placed against them with multiple plants and books.

 Noises could be heard from the kitchen, but right as she tried sitting up to see she saw Chuu walking out, holding a plate in her hands as she walked towards Sooyoung.

 

“Oh! You’re awake, how do you feel? Also I’m really sorry for touching your stuff while you were asleep I wasn’t sure what to do as you kind of passed out there and Jellybean was being all hyper and loud..”

Sooyoung was overwhelmed by the fact that Chuu stayed here to take care of her, and by how fast she said all that, making her blink twice before fully processing what she said.

 

“God, I’m sorry for passing out on you- Wait.. Who’s Jellybean.”

“Him?” Chuu looked at the dog sitting next to her.

“Haneul??”

“I had to name him since I didn’t know his name and he looks like a Jellybean! His tummy has the same shape.”

Sooyoung chuckled, noticing her headache was coming back when she did. Chuu noticed, sitting down next to her with the plate on her lap.

 

“Here.”

Was Chuu going to feed her..? Slightly embarrassed, Sooyoung opened her mouth, letting Chuu feed her as she felt her face turning red.

 

“Is the taste okay? If you don’t really like it you can tell me that’s okay-“

“This,” Sooyoung started, “is so good??”

“Wait really?”

“Yeah?? I usually cook for myself and chicken soup is pretty easy to make but it never tasted this good before-“ Chuu chuckled, letting Sooyoung drink another spoonful of the soup. Minutes went by as they sat in a comfortable silence while Sooyoung finished her soup, Chuu sitting next to her.

“Hey Chuu,” she received a hum in return, “thank you for taking care of me. This is like, the best soup I had in my entire life plus it seems like Jellybe- Haneul really likes you even though he’s usually not so fond of strangers.” As if on cue the dog barked, making them both chuckle.

“You’re welcome! I’m really glad you’re feeling better.”

 

They fell into a comfortable silence again, making Sooyoung able to gather some courage for her next question.

“..Chuu?”

“Mhm?”

“I noticed your grandfather calling you Jiwoo last time, but I thought your name’s Chuu?“

“Ah. Jiwoo is my real name, actually. Kim Jiwoo. Chuu is a nickname my parents gave me, and it somehow stuck.”

 

 

Her parents, ofcourse.

 

“Oh.. Uh, if you don’t mind talking about it, you don’t have to ofcourse I’d completely understand-“

Chuu let out a soft chuckle, noticing Sooyoungs nervousness. “What happened to my parents?”

Sooyoung sat still for a few seconds, before lightly nodding.

 

“A drunk driver crashed into a store window, injuring almost 15 people. My parents were two of the few unlucky ones that didn’t survive. The police officers simply said they were at the wrong place in the wrong time to six year old me at the time.” Chuu had a bittersweet smile on her face as she managed to get the words out, her smile slowly turning into a frown.

And when Sooyoung took her hand into her own she saw that the sadness from long ago resurfaced, rolling down her cheeks as tears. Sooyoung wrapped the other half of the blanket around her, taking her in her arms as the girl went through all the emotions she’d locked away as to not lose hope, finding comfort in the hug.

 

“I’m really sorry for crying, it’s just that I never really had someone to talk about this.. Usually people don’t have the courage to ask in fear of hurting me, and due to work I can’t meet up with my friends much so it all just came down on me at once..” Sooyoung gently rubbed her back, giving her as much time as she needed.

She didn’t feel the need to say anything, this was something Chuu had to come to terms with on her own, and while she did Sooyoung would be there for her.

 

Chuu gave one last squeeze before composing herself and sniffling a bit, taking the tissue Sooyoung handed out to her with a thanks.

“This is so dumb..” She chuckled, taking Haneul into her arms and playing with his tiny ears.

“It’s so normal. You basically just let out all the tears and thoughts that got build up over a span of more than 15 years.”

Chuu smiled, her gratefulness evident as she looked at Sooyoung.

 

 

“You can call me Jiwoo if you want.”

 

 

“..Are you sure?”

 

It’s true that she only had a select people that she let her call Jiwoo.

A select people being her grandfather, and some family members that already passed away. At some point everyone started to call her Chuu, making her almost forget her real name that somehow felt linked to her parents and what had happened to them.

She wasn’t even sure if she wanted someone to ever call her by that name again, but hearing Sooyoung say her name, her real name, just felt so right.

 

Making her feel like she finally found someone that she could trust, someone that’d bring her true happiness again, and someone that she genuinely also wanted to make happy.

 

 

Jiwoo returned home that evening after Sooyoung asked if it wouldn’t be better to stay over since it’s late, or whether she wanted her to drive her home, to which Jiwoo politely refused as, one, she couldn’t leave her grandfather alone without telling him, and two, she should stay inside and rest some more, so that her fever would be completely gone next time she came to the store.

 

And after parting with a hug, a promise that she’d send a message once she arrived home safely, and eventually a goodnight message, they both tiredly went to sleep, with the sole thing on their minds being the other.


End file.
